Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-04-29
FRIDAY APRIL 90, 1887


IL was stated IN this paper a lew uays
ago that in the public schools of this
city the number OF pupils enrolled
might soon run up to ten thousand.
The city must have money wherewith
TO pay for keeping up these magnificent
schools which arc drawingto themselves
30 large proportion of the children Of
Richmond. And no councilman, no
member of the General Assembly from
this city will ever entertain for one mo-
ment the proposition to confine the
city's future yearly appropriations to
her public schools to the amount which
she has annually paid heretofore.
But we have in this city already the
very best Of public schools; and if any
city or county in Virginia could afford
10 stipulate with its creditors that it
would never increase its annual appro-
pristion to public schools, the corpora
ton Of Richmond could afford to do it.
And yet, We repeat, no man in public
life in this city would entertain such
proposition for moment.
How, then, would our people receive
proposition to cut down the annual
appropriation to the public schools
here9 We need not say that they
would blast the unworthy officials who
should do such thing with their hot
test indignation.
Is it likely, then, that the people in
those counties whose schools are kept
open but five or six months in the year,
will listen with patience to the propo-
sitiou to cut down the appropriations
which they annually make to their i'm
mature public-school system
Who would be benefited 10y sucn a
reduction? The public schools are the
cheapest of schools. Those in this city
are unsurpassed. The teachers are ex-
perienced, competent, and Jealous.
There are no better teachers to he
found. What would it profit the citi-
xens of Richmond to reduce the num-
Der of pupils by two or three thou
sand? Could they thus save any
money Certainly not. These two or
three thousand children,' instead of
being educated at the public schools at
a cost per annum of ten or fifteen dol
lars each, would have to be sent to the
private schools at heavier cost. The
community would suffer pecuniary
loss.
Is not this just as true of every coun-
ty and city in Virginia as it is of Rich
mond? Is it not true of the Common
wealth as body-politic Could she
save even one dollar by cutting down
her annual appropriations to her public
schools? Just think of cutting down
the small sum total now yearly appro-
priated to the public schools as means
of getting money for our creditors be-
yond the ocean, and then going before
the people and asking them to ratify
the settlement Not one member of
the Legislature can be found TO adyo-
cate this suicidal policy.
We repeat that the sum of money an
nuallyappropriatedto the public schools
in Virginia is "small." What is the
sum of two millions when divided
amongst hundreds of thousands of chill
dren? Kansas, with a population
much less than that of Virginia, spends
nearly four millions year on her pub
lie schools. So does California. Con-
necticut, which has not half as many
people, spends as much as Virginia on
her public schools. But we need not en-
gage in dispute as to whether the sum
Virginia appropriates annually to her
public schools is large or small, seeing
that. whether it be large OF small, the
people of the State could not save a
dime by doing away with the public
school system entirely. 1t would cost
them more to have their hundreds Of
thousands of children educated in pri-
vate schools.
Again: There are more than three
hundred thousand children enrolled in
the public schools of Virginia. How
much would it cost their parents TO edu-
cate all these in private schools ? Who
would save any money by it
There are nearly 400, 1000 persons in
Virginia over Ten years of age who can
not read. Shall we provide for 600, 900
by the time the next census is taken :?
Then let us cut down our appropriation
to the public schools.
Better make coupons tax-receivable
than to provide for shutting up the
peoples schools. That way lies danger.
We assume that We are addressing
persons friendly to the public-sehool
system. Those persons who are opposed
TO public schools would Of course offer
reasons which we have not combatted
for paying the States creditors at the
expense OF her children. But their
number is 80 small that we need not
antsgonize them.
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